editorNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94After a stint on Capitol Hill, NPR National Correspondent Debbie Elliott is back covering her native South.From a giant sinkhole swallowing up a bayou community in Louisiana to new state restrictions on abortion providers, Elliott keeps track of the region's news. She also reports on cultural treasures such as an historic church in need of preservation in Helena, Arkansas; the magical House of Dance and Feathers in New Orleans' lower 9th ward; and the hidden-away Coon Dog Cemetery in north Alabama.She's looking back at the legacy of landmark civil rights events, and following the legal battles between states and the federal government over immigration enforcement, healthcare, and voting rights.Her coverage of the BP oil spill has focused on the human impact of the spill, the complex litigation to determine responsibility for the disaster, and how the region is recovering. She launched the series, "The Disappearing Coast," which examines the history and culture of south Louisiana, theNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Debbie ElliottSat, 08 Oct 2016 09:10:52 +0000Debbie Elliotthttp://knau.org
Debbie ElliottCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit MCEVERS, HOST: There are now hurricane warnings extending up the U.S. Atlantic Coast from Florida to North Carolina. Hurricane Matthew was downgraded earlier in the evening to a Category 2 storm, but it is still incredibly powerful. It left the southwestern part of Haiti devastated. Hundreds of people have been killed there. President Obama is urging people in the storm's path in the U.S. to take the threat seriously. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) BARACK OBAMA: I just want to emphasize to everybody that this is still a really dangerous hurricane, that the potential for storm surge flooding, loss of life and severe property damage continues to exist. MCEVERS: We're going to go to NPR's Debbie Elliott, who is in Jacksonville, Fla. Hi there, Debbie. DEBBIE ELLIOTT, BYLINE: Hi there. MCEVERS: So we know that the eye of this hurricane is now just off of the Georgia coast. But what are the conditions like where you are in Florida? ELLIOTT: I'm hereAt Least 2 Dead In Florida As Hurricane Matthew Moves Northhttp://knau.org/post/least-2-dead-florida-hurricane-matthew-moves-north
83710 as http://knau.orgSat, 08 Oct 2016 00:09:00 +0000At Least 2 Dead In Florida As Hurricane Matthew Moves NorthDebbie ElliottCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.Voters Drawn To Donald Trump In Florida Panhandlehttp://knau.org/post/voters-drawn-donald-trump-florida-panhandle
83661 as http://knau.orgThu, 06 Oct 2016 20:34:00 +0000Voters Drawn To Donald Trump In Florida PanhandleDebbie ElliottAlabama Republican Chief Justice Roy Moore is fighting to keep his job. He's accused of violating judicial ethics for telling local judges they were bound by Alabama's gay marriage ban — and not the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark ruling legalizing same-sex marriage.His trial is set to start Wednesday. He's been suspended pending the trial, and faces removal from the bench."Roy Moore doesn't know the difference between being a judge and being a preacher," says Richard Cohen, president of the Southern Poverty Law Center. The Alabama-based group filed several ethics complaints over Moore's conduct."He thinks his religious beliefs should trump his obligations under the law, and that's a dangerous thing," Cohen says.Moore forced the debate last year when he issued orders in conflict with a Mobile, Ala., federal judge's ruling that struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage. Here's what he told NPR at the time:"If we sit back and let the federal courts intrude their powers into stateAlabama's Chief Justice Faces Ethics Charges For Second Time http://knau.org/post/alabamas-chief-justice-faces-ethics-charges-second-time
83313 as http://knau.orgWed, 28 Sep 2016 09:00:00 +0000Alabama's Chief Justice Faces Ethics Charges For Second Time Debbie ElliottCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit SHAPIRO, HOST: Talking about race can be hard, and Susan Glisson urges people to go there anyway. She's starting candid discussions in communities with complicated racial legacies. All this month we're introducing you to inspiring people who break through barriers to change the world around them. We're calling them bound breakers. NPR's Debbie Elliott introduces us to our next bound breaker. DEBBIE ELLIOTT, BYLINE: Susan Glisson stands on the campus of the University of Mississippi near a 1906 Confederate memorial that has long been at the center of racial strife here. SUSAN GLISSON: There's a soldier on top. There's a - the stars and bars. ELLIOTT: The statue was a rallying point for a white mob opposing integration in a deadly 1962 riot. Decades later when Glisson was a graduate student, she recalls being on this same circle during dueling protests over the practice of flying Confederate battle flags at Ole Miss football games. GLISSON: And theyMississippi Woman Fosters Candid Conversations About Racehttp://knau.org/post/mississippi-woman-fosters-candid-conversations-about-race
82920 as http://knau.orgThu, 15 Sep 2016 22:35:00 +0000Mississippi Woman Fosters Candid Conversations About RaceDebbie ElliottThings are far from normal for people in Louisiana hit by last month's historic flood. Thousands have lost their homes, their cars, their jobs.But one routine resumed this week in Baton Rouge: Students are back in class after a three-week interruption.At Claiborne Elementary in north Baton Rouge, kids are tussling on school playgrounds again, even as their families' soaked belongings lay in heaps along neighborhood streets.Every available space at the school has been converted to a classroom. The campus is now hosting students displaced from Howell Park Elementary, about 2 1/2 miles away.The goal is to keep it normal even though the schools are merged, says Rochelle Anderson, principal of the host school."We wanted to make sure that the students walked into the school that was very structured," she says. "Regardless of the disarray, once you walked through the building, that disarray would somehow diminish."Every class has its own room; there's no doubling up. And the usual classroomLouisiana Kids Return To School, A Bubble Of Normalcy After Massive Floodshttp://knau.org/post/louisiana-kids-return-school-bubble-normalcy-after-massive-floods
82637 as http://knau.orgThu, 08 Sep 2016 22:51:00 +0000Louisiana Kids Return To School, A Bubble Of Normalcy After Massive FloodsDebbie ElliottCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.Residents Struggle To Rebuild After Major Floods In Louisianahttp://knau.org/post/residents-struggle-rebuild-after-major-floods-louisiana
81785 as http://knau.orgThu, 18 Aug 2016 20:28:00 +0000Residents Struggle To Rebuild After Major Floods In LouisianaDebbie ElliottCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit NPR.Biden Says Baton Rouge Officers' Deaths Had A Wide Impacthttp://knau.org/post/biden-says-baton-rouge-officers-deaths-had-wide-impact
80854 as http://knau.orgFri, 29 Jul 2016 09:20:00 +0000Biden Says Baton Rouge Officers' Deaths Had A Wide ImpactDebbie ElliottCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit NPR.The Latest On Baton Rouge: A City In Healinghttp://knau.org/post/latest-baton-rouge-city-healing
80573 as http://knau.orgSat, 23 Jul 2016 13:13:00 +0000The Latest On Baton Rouge: A City In HealingDebbie ElliottCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.State Prosecutor Closes 'Mississippi Burning' Civil Rights Casehttp://knau.org/post/state-prosecutor-closes-mississippi-burning-civil-rights-case
79121 as http://knau.orgTue, 21 Jun 2016 09:11:00 +0000State Prosecutor Closes 'Mississippi Burning' Civil Rights CaseDebbie ElliottJust days after the tragic shooting at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C., last year, the pews at Emanuel AME were filled for Sunday service. A black cloth was draped over the chair where Emanuel's pastor, state Sen. Clementa Pinckney, should have been sitting.Holding worship in the church sanctuary — while its basement was still a fresh crime scene — served as a way for the congregation to move forward while acknowledging the deaths of nine of its own.The church is affectionately known as Mother Emanuel, and it was there that the pastor and eight other worshippers were killed on June 17, 2015, as they bowed their heads in prayer during a Bible study. Authorities say the shooting suspect, Dylann Roof, who is white, chose the predominantly black church for the racially motivated assault in order to magnify the societal impact."The only reason someone could walk into a church and shoot people praying is out of hate — the only reason," Joe Riley, Charleston's mayor at the time, saidHow A Shooting Changed Charleston's Oldest Black Churchhttp://knau.org/post/how-shooting-changed-charlestons-oldest-black-church
78620 as http://knau.orgWed, 08 Jun 2016 21:06:00 +0000How A Shooting Changed Charleston's Oldest Black ChurchDebbie ElliottIt's been nearly a year since a mass shooting at a historic black church in Charleston, S.C., shocked the nation."We woke up today, and the heart and soul of South Carolina was broken," said Gov. Nikki Haley the morning after a gunman killed nine worshippers in what authorities describe as a race-based attack.At the time, officials struggled to make sense of the crime that unfolded on June 17 during an intimate evening Bible study at Emanuel AME Church."This is a tragedy that no community should have to experience," said Charleston Police Chief Gregory Mullen at the first news conference late that night."It is senseless and it is unfathomable that somebody in today's society would walk into a church when people are having a prayer meeting and take their lives," he said.Killed were Cynthia Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lance, Depayne Middleton, Tywanza Sanders, Daniel Simmons, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, Myra Thompson, and Emanuel's pastor, the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, who was also a SouthWhile Grieving Continues, Church Shooting Was Charleston's Call To Action http://knau.org/post/while-grieving-continues-church-shooting-was-charlestons-call-action
78532 as http://knau.orgTue, 07 Jun 2016 09:02:00 +0000While Grieving Continues, Church Shooting Was Charleston's Call To Action Debbie ElliottNashville Hot Chicken is showing up everywhere lately, from fast-food marquees to trendy restaurant menus. But to find the real thing, you might start in a nondescript strip mall on the northeast side of Nashville, Tenn.Here at Prince's Hot Chicken Shack, people line up long before the doors open to get their fix."Need my hot chicken," says construction worker Jose Rodriguez as he approaches the kitchen window to place his order. "I'm going to get two hot of the breast quarters."Old-fashioned wooden booths line the walls of the small dining room. When a clerk calls out your order number, you pick up your paper plate of chicken, served on a red cafeteria tray. Drinks come from a vending machine on the back wall."Prince's is the ground zero for hot chicken," says Timothy Davis, author of The Hot Chicken Cookbook — the Fiery History and Red Hot Recipes of Nashville's Beloved Bird.The Prince family has been selling hot chicken for more than 70 years and is thought to have conceived theHow A Cheating Man Gave Rise To Nashville's Hot Chicken Crazehttp://knau.org/post/how-cheating-husband-gave-rise-nashvilles-hot-chicken-craze
76952 as http://knau.orgThu, 28 Apr 2016 09:13:00 +0000How A Cheating Man Gave Rise To Nashville's Hot Chicken CrazeDebbie ElliottDonald Trump's enduring appeal in the Republican presidential contest has the GOP in a quandary, as it's forced to contend with voters fed up with party politics.Some 50 years ago, another vociferous candidate put the scare in traditional power brokers. George Wallace fired up crowds with a similar anti-establishment message, and drew protests as passionate as are being seen at Trump's rallies today. Wallace also became a face of racial tension in America as the leading symbol for segregation in the 1960s.When Wallace entered presidential politics in 1964, the then-Alabama governor was famous for declaring, "Segregation now. Segregation tomorrow. And segregation forever."Wallace allies and family see parallels today in Trump."It's just a replay," Charlie Snider, one of Wallace's most trusted political aides, told NPR. "We're looking at a modern-day George Wallace."Snider is a Trump supporter. Wallace's daughter, a Democrat, hears it, too, but in a different way."Trump and my father sayIs Donald Trump A Modern-Day George Wallace?http://knau.org/post/donald-trump-and-george-wallace-riding-rage
76718 as http://knau.orgFri, 22 Apr 2016 10:19:00 +0000Is Donald Trump A Modern-Day George Wallace?Debbie ElliottAt a recent rally on the steps of the Mississippi state Capitol in Jackson, dozens of protesters shouted "Bring it down! Bring it down!" in opposition to the flag waving atop the building.Mississippi is the only remaining U.S. state that still has obvious Confederate imagery in its state flag. The upper left corner, or canton, depicts the Confederate battle emblem — a red background with a blue "X" lined with white stars.Ever since the man accused of killing nine African-Americans in a South Carolina church last summer was seen posing with a Confederate battle flag, there's been a movement to rethink the reverence for relics of the Old South.Carlos Moore, an African-American lawyer from Grenada, Miss., is among the protesters in Jackson."I see something that stands for secession. I see something that stands for lynching. I see something that stands for slavery," he says.Moore is suing the state over the flag design, arguing it's unconstitutional."The flag with that emblem is a vestigeReverence And Rage: Southerners Battle Over Relics Of The Confederacyhttp://knau.org/post/reverence-and-rage-southerners-battle-over-relics-confederacy
75174 as http://knau.orgThu, 17 Mar 2016 22:23:00 +0000Reverence And Rage: Southerners Battle Over Relics Of The ConfederacyDebbie ElliottCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: As the 2016 presidential race rolls on, we have another day of primaries today. Republicans in Idaho and Hawaii vote. Both parties have contests in Michigan and Mississippi. The polls in Mississippi have just closed, and NPR senior editor and correspondent Ron Elving is here in the studio with the results at this hour. Ron, what do we know?RON ELVING, BYLINE: Ari, we know that Hillary Clinton has won and won easily in Mississippi. This is not unanticipated. This was a demographic in this state, much like South Carolina, and it was dominated by African-American voters who cast over 60 percent of the votes today and who have been consistently supporting Hillary Clinton in other Southern primaries.Now, we of course will see results from Michigan later on, so we won't speak to where that might be going at this hour. But we do know that Hillary Clinton has continued her domination of the Southern African-American vote, and she hasHillary Clinton Claims Dominant Win In Mississippihttp://knau.org/post/polls-begin-close-mississippi-gop-and-democratic-primaries
74739 as http://knau.orgWed, 09 Mar 2016 04:15:00 +0000Hillary Clinton Claims Dominant Win In MississippiDebbie ElliottCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: We have the story now of another white police officer charged with killing an African-American man. This time it happened in a city known for its role in the civil rights movement, Montgomery, Ala. NPR's Debbie Elliott reports.DEBBIE ELLIOTT, BYLINE: Gregory Gunn was an African-American man in his late 50s. Neighbors say he was walking home from a card game in the wee hours last Thursday morning. According to Montgomery police, white officer Aaron A.C. Smith was alone on patrol in Gunn's predominantly black neighborhood, which has seen a rash of burglaries. The 23-year-old policeman approached a, quote, "suspicious person." And officials say a struggle ensued. Gunn was shot to death in front of his next-door neighbor's home. And now the young patrolman faces murder charges.(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)TODD STRANGE: In the history of Montgomery, this is not one of our great days.ELLIOTT: Mayor Todd Strange has been callingWhite Police Officer In Alabama Charged With Black Man's Deathhttp://knau.org/post/white-police-officer-alabama-charged-black-mans-death
74464 as http://knau.orgThu, 03 Mar 2016 10:11:00 +0000White Police Officer In Alabama Charged With Black Man's DeathDebbie ElliottThe presidential contest moves South on Super Tuesday, March 1. The region is considered a firewall for Hillary Clinton because of her strong support among African-American voters, a key bloc of Southern Democrats.Greensboro, Ala. is in the heart of the black belt — named for its rich black soil and known as a place where the right to vote is sacred."I'm a foot soldier," said 80-year-old Theresa Burroughs. "Every time there's a vote, I go."She marched from Selma to Montgomery for the right to vote in 1965, and was a member of the Hale County Civic Improvement League — one of the nation's first grassroots civil rights organizations.Burroughs is founder of the Safe House Black History Museum in Greensboro, a clapboard shotgun house on the edge of town."This is the place where we kept Dr. Martin Luther King safe," she said.Local activists hid him from the Ku Klux Klan on a visit to west Alabama in March of 1968, just two weeks before King was assassinated in Memphis.Burroughs says there'sIn Alabama's Rural Black Belt, An Uphill Climb For Bernie Sandershttp://knau.org/post/alabamas-rural-black-belt-uphill-climb-bernie-sanders
74230 as http://knau.orgFri, 26 Feb 2016 19:42:00 +0000In Alabama's Rural Black Belt, An Uphill Climb For Bernie SandersDebbie ElliottSome $25 billion is headed to the five Gulf states that were devastated in the 2010 BP oil disaster. Just a fraction of the government fines and court settlements have been paid — but not all of it will end up repairing the damaged ecosystem.Louisiana, which suffered the most damage in the spill, has used the fines and settlements to rebuild its coast, one that was already fragile and disappearing. When it took a direct hit from the BP disaster, oil choked off vegetation that is critical to holding together what land is left.Fourchon Beach on the Caminada Headlands "was and has historically been one of the fastest-eroding beach headlands in North America," says Joni Tuck, grants administrator of the Greater Lafourche Port Commission.It was down to a narrow strip held together by vegetation."If you looked at it from above, there would have been no sand. It would have just been just marsh, mangroves, plants, ocean," Tuck says.The Gulf had cut through the marsh, and just beyond is PortIs The BP Oil Spill Settlement Money Being Well-Spent?http://knau.org/post/bp-oil-spill-settlement-money-being-well-spent
74048 as http://knau.orgMon, 22 Feb 2016 23:44:00 +0000Is The BP Oil Spill Settlement Money Being Well-Spent?Debbie ElliottNew Orleans is famous for its rollicking carnival to celebrate Mardi Gras, but the party has deep roots in another Gulf Coast city, Mobile, Ala.And in Mobile, carnival rules this time of year, even in the city council chambers. "Good morning and happy Mardi Gras," says city council president Gina Gregory as she welcomes masked and costumed revelers for a special proclamation marking 185 years of street celebrations in Mobile.One of them is Wayne Dean, the city's semi-official Mardi Gras historian. But he's not Dean today. He's in character. "I am Chief Slackabamarinico from Rag Swamp," he says.With a headdress of turkey feathers and an oyster shell hanging from his neck, Dean turns heads as he walks from city hall to the nearby Mobile Carnival Museum. His costume is a replica of the one worn long ago by city clerk Joe Cain, who paraded through town with his Lost Cause Minstrel Band after the bleak days of the Civil War when Mardi Gras was suspended."Union troops are still here and heFor Mardi Gras, Les Bon Temps Rouler In Mobile, Ala., Toohttp://knau.org/post/mardi-gras-les-bon-temps-rouler-mobile-ala-too
73383 as http://knau.orgMon, 08 Feb 2016 10:13:00 +0000For Mardi Gras, Les Bon Temps Rouler In Mobile, Ala., TooDebbie ElliottWhen you enter the lobby of the Orleans Public Defender's Office, expect a bit of a wait, because receptionist Chastity Tillman will likely be busy on the phone."The jail calls. We get them every second," Tillman says.Jailed suspects call to get their court dates and to see a lawyer. But for those accused of the most serious of crimes, there will be no visit from an attorney; no help in negotiating a bond; no investigation into their alleged offense. Public defenders say they don't have the resources to handle the city's indigent caseload after a million-dollar budget shortfall.So they are turning away some who can't afford to pay for their own legal representation."And without that, there could be evidence that [goes] missing. There could be videos that are erased or taped over. Witnesses' memories fade," says Orleans Deputy District Defender Jee Park. "So there are many unfortunate circumstances that can arise if you don't have an attorney who is working on your case right away fromNeed A Public Defender In New Orleans? Get In Linehttp://knau.org/post/new-orleans-court-appointed-lawyers-turning-away-suspects
73227 as http://knau.orgThu, 04 Feb 2016 10:11:00 +0000Need A Public Defender In New Orleans? Get In Line